Antibiotics-resistant Bacteria Seen for First Time

The incredible film shows the evolution of bacteria as it changes to fight different strengths of antibiotic in the lab

The growth and spread of antibiotics-resistant bacteria has been revealed by scientists in a timelaspe video showing a ‘superbug’ fighting against drugs.

In a creative stroke inspired by Hollywood wizardry, scientists have designed a simple way to observe how bacteria move as they become impervious to drugs.

Filmed to show the evolution of bacteria on a ‘mega-plate’ Petri dish measuring 2ft by 4ft, the film reveals a much more exciting lab experiment than most of us saw in a standard secondary school science class.

The experiment, conducted by scientists at Harvard University Medical School , used nine bands with different amounts of antibiotic in the agar – from a low concentration at the dges to a gradually increasing concentration near the centre.